Violent crime on Table Mountain is increasing, volunteers warn

• Volunteer groups have signed a petition calling on SANParks to tackle crime on Table Mountain.
• Signatories to the #SaveTableMountain petition, driven by Friends of Table Mountain, say violent crime is on the increase and likely to spike over the summer.
• But SANParks says the numbers are stable.

Violent crime on Table Mountain is on the increase, say volunteers, who have launched a petition calling on SANParks to tackle crime and the deterioration of conditions on the mountain.

With nearly 3-million visitors in 2023-4, the park attracts more visitors than any of the other parks managed by SANParks, including the Kruger National Park. Nearly half of all SANParks visitors come to Table Mountain, according to SANParks annual report.

A petition launched about a month ago called the #SaveTableMountain campaign, driven by Friends of Table Mountain, calls on SANParks to address safety at crime hotspots.

There were 59 robberies in Table Mountain National Park in 2022, 133 in 2023, and 58 in 2024, according to SANParks. Already this year there have been 53 robberies, and since robberies tend to spike towards the end of the year — in 2023 there were 30 robberies in October, 38 in November, and 11 in December — volunteers fear the worst is still to come.

Volunteer groups working in the Table Mountain National Park say there has been an increase in violent crime on the mountain. Photo: Liezl Human

SANParks denies that there is an increase in crime on the mountain. “There was a spike earlier this year but figures have since stabilised to below single digits,” said spokesperson JP Louw.

“There are spikes in incidents and crime that happen over the years during certain months, particularly the summer months when there are more tourists visiting Cape Town,” he said.

But volunteer groups do not agree. “Crime is on an active increase,” said Blake Dyason, founder of volunteer group Love our Trails.

“The crime is getting worse every year,” said Taahir Osman, founder of Take Back Our Mountains. He said that from 2023 to now, they’ve noticed an uptick in violent crime.

Louw said the mountain was “an open access park with numerous entry points and an extensive urban-park interface. The park is affected by urban crime spillover. This makes law enforcement challenging and means it’s vital to have joint effort with SAPS and City law enforcement.”

He said they were collaborating with SAPS and the City of Cape Town on joint patrols and information sharing.

But Dyason says most of the muggings and car break-ins take place at a few hotspots such as Lion’s Head and Signal Hill.

Trails

Signatories to the #SaveTableMountain petition have also raised concerns about overgrown or deteriorating trails, insufficient signage on trails, and invasive vegetation and trees.

They also complain about decaying tourism infrastructure, such as the Rhodes Memorial Tea Garden which burnt down in 2021 and has not been repaired, as well as other infrastructure at Orange Kloof Tented Camp, Lister’s Tearoom and the Tokai Manor House.

Louw said that tenders had been advertised for bulk services upgrades of the Tokai area and the Rhodes Memorial restaurant, to be completed in 2026. A heritage management plan is also being developed for the Tokai Arboretum, said Louw.

Rhodes Memorial restaurant will have its bulk services upgraded by 2026, according to SANParks. Photo: Liezl Human

Several volunteer groups work on the mountain. They maintain hiking trails, do safety patrols, and remove invasive species. “There is a lot of unhappiness with the way the park is being managed,” said Andy Davies, Friends of Table Mountain chairperson.

The group regularly fixes eroded and deteriorating trails on the mountain and puts up signage on trails to prevent people from getting lost. Last year, they fixed about 30km of trails.

Davies said SANParks often did not respond to reports of problems. “We don’t want to be entitled and demand stuff. We are trying to be constructive. We want to prevent the damage to trails and infrastructure,” he said.

Andy Davies, chairperson of Friends of Table Mountain, says they fixed about 30km of trails last year. Photo: Liezl Human

Louw said there were 850km of trails in the park.

“Trail maintenance is continuous due to wear and tear from millions of users, winter rains which cause erosion, and fires which affect trail infrastructure and soil stability,” said Louw.

Dyason was concerned that SANParks was relying too much on all the volunteer groups working on the mountain. “If those groups stopped doing what they did, this mountain would be in serious trouble,” he said.

However, not all volunteer groups working on the mountain are critical of SANParks. Maya Naumann, from the Sugarbird Project, which removes invasive alien species on Table Mountain, said that they’ve established a good formalised relationship with SANParks.

“It was never an expectation we had that SANParks could do this on their own because it’s such a big problem,” she said.

Friends of Table Mountain regularly fixes and maintains eroded and deteriorating trails. From left: Alick Kapito, Gift Barton, and Misheck Banda. Photo: Liezl Human